Module 5: CPU Scheduling

• Basic Concepts
• Scheduling Criteria
• Scheduling Algorithms
• Multiple-Processor Scheduling
• Real-Time Scheduling
• Algorithm Evaluation

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 Basic Concepts

• Maximum CPU utilization obtained with multiprogramming

• CPU–I/O Burst Cycle – Process execution consists of a cycle of CPU
execution and I/O wait.
• CPU burst distribution

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 Alternating Sequence of CPU And I/O Bursts

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 Histogram of CPU-burst Times

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 CPU Scheduler

• Selects from among the processes in memory that are ready to

execute, and allocates the CPU to one of them.
• CPU scheduling decisions may take place when a process:
1. Switches from running to waiting state.
2. Switches from running to ready state.
3. Switches from waiting to ready.
4. Terminates.
• Scheduling under 1 and 4 is nonpreemptive.
• All other scheduling is preemptive.

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 Dispatcher

• Dispatcher module gives control of the CPU to the process

selected by the short-term scheduler; this involves:
– switching context
– switching to user mode
– jumping to the proper location in the user program to restart
that program
• Dispatch latency – time it takes for the dispatcher to stop one
process and start another running.

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 Scheduling Criteria

• CPU utilization – keep the CPU as busy as possible

• Throughput – # of processes that complete their execution per
time unit
• Turnaround time – amount of time to execute a particular process
• Waiting time – amount of time a process has been waiting in the
ready queue
• Response time – amount of time it takes from when a request
was submitted until the first response is produced, not output
(for time-sharing environment)

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 Optimization Criteria

• Max CPU utilization

• Max throughput
• Min turnaround time
• Min waiting time
• Min response time

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 First-Come, First-Served (FCFS) Scheduling

• Example: Process Burst Time

P1 24
P2 3
P3 3
• Suppose that the processes arrive in the order: P1 , P2 , P3
The Gantt Chart for the schedule is:

P1 P2 P3

0 24 27 30
• Waiting time for P1 = 0; P2 = 24; P3 = 27
• Average waiting time: (0 + 24 + 27)/3 = 17

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 FCFS Scheduling (Cont.)

Suppose that the processes arrive in the order

P2 , P3 , P1 .
• The Gantt chart for the schedule is:

P2 P3 P1

0 3 6 30

• Waiting time for P1 = 6; P2 = 0; P3 = 3

• Average waiting time: (6 + 0 + 3)/3 = 3
• Much better than previous case.
• Convoy effect short process behind long process

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 Shortest-Job-First (SJR) Scheduling

• Associate with each process the length of its next CPU burst.
Use these lengths to schedule the process with the shortest time.
• Two schemes:
– nonpreemptive – once CPU given to the process it cannot
be preempted until completes its CPU burst.
– Preemptive – if a new process arrives with CPU burst length
less than remaining time of current executing process,
preempt. This scheme is know as the
Shortest-Remaining-Time-First (SRTF).
• SJF is optimal – gives minimum average waiting time for a given
set of processes.

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 Example of (Non- Preemptive)SJF

Process Burst Time

P1 6

P2 8
P3 7
P4 3
• SJF (Non-Preemptive)

P4 P1 P3 P2

0 3 9 16 24
• Average waiting time = (3 + 16 + 9 + 0)/4 = 7milliseconds
• If UsingFCFS,the average wait time would be 10.25milli seconds
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 Example of Preemptive SJF

Process Arrival Time Burst Time

P1 0 8
P2 1 4
P3 2 9
P4 3 5
• SJF (preemptive)

P1 P2 P4 P1 P3

0 5 10 17 26
1

• Average waiting time = (9 + 0 + 15 +2)/4 = 6.5 milli seconds

• Non Premeptine SJF would result in 7.75 milliseconds
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 Determining Length of Next CPU Burst

• Can only estimate the length.

• Can be done by using the length of previous CPU bursts, using
exponential averaging.
1. tn = actual lenght of nthCPU burst
2. τ n+1 = predicted value for the next CPU burst
3. α , 0 ≤ α ≤ 1
4. Define :

τ n=1 = α tn + (1 − α )τ n .

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 Examples of Exponential Averaging

• α =0
– τn+1 = τn
– Recent history does not count.
• α =1
– τn+1 = tn
– Only the actual last CPU burst counts.
• If we expand the formula, we get:
τn+1 = α tn+(1 - α) α tn -1 + …
+(1 - α )j α tn -1 + …
+(1 - α )n=1 tn τ0
• Since both α and (1 - α) are less than or equal to 1, each
successive term has less weight than its predecessor.

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 Priority Scheduling

• A priority number (integer) is associated with each process

• The CPU is allocated to the process with the highest priority
(smallest integer ≡ highest priority).
– Preemptive
– nonpreemptive
• SJF is a priority scheduling where priority is the predicted next
CPU burst time.
• Problem ≡ Starvation – low priority processes may never
execute.
• Solution ≡ Aging – as time progresses increase the priority of the
process.

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 Example of Priority Scheduling

Process Burst Time Priority

P1 10 3
P2 1 1
P3 2 4
P4 1 5
P5 5 2
• Priority

P2 P5 P1 P3 P
4

0 1 6 16 18 19

• Average waiting time = (6 + 0 + 15 +18+1)/5 = 8 milli seconds

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 Round Robin (RR)

• Each process gets a small unit of CPU time (time quantum),

usually 10-100 milliseconds. After this time has elapsed, the
process is preempted and added to the end of the ready queue.
• If there are n processes in the ready queue and the time
quantum is q, then each process gets 1/n of the CPU time in
chunks of at most q time units at once. No process waits more
than (n-1)q time units.
• Performance
– q large ⇒ FIFO
– q small ⇒ q must be large with respect to context switch,
otherwise overhead is too high.

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 Example: RR with Time Quantum = 20

Process Burst Time

P1 53
P2 17
P3 68
P4 24
• The Gantt chart is:

P1 P2 P3 P4 P1 P3 P4 P1 P3 P3

0 20 37 57 77 97 117 121 134 154 162

• Typically, higher average turnaround than SJF, but better

response.

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 How a Smaller Time Quantum Increases Context Switches

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 Turnaround Time Varies With The Time Quantum

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 Multilevel Queue

• Ready queue is partitioned into separate queues:

foreground (interactive)
background (batch)
• Each queue has its own scheduling algorithm,
foreground – RR
background – FCFS
• Scheduling must be done between the queues.
– Fixed priority scheduling; i.e., serve all from foreground then
from background. Possibility of starvation.
– Time slice – each queue gets a certain amount of CPU time
which it can schedule amongst its processes; i.e.,
80% to foreground in RR
– 20% to background in FCFS

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 Multilevel Queue Scheduling

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 Multilevel Feedback Queue

• A process can move between the various queues; aging can be

implemented this way.
• Multilevel-feedback-queue scheduler defined by the following
parameters:
– number of queues
– scheduling algorithms for each queue
– method used to determine when to upgrade a process
– method used to determine when to demote a process
– method used to determine which queue a process will enter
when that process needs service

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 Multilevel Feedback Queues

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 Example of Multilevel Feedback Queue

• Three queues:
– Q0 – time quantum 8 milliseconds
– Q1 – time quantum 16 milliseconds
– Q2 – FCFS
• Scheduling
– A new job enters queue Q0 which is served FCFS. When it
gains CPU, job receives 8 milliseconds. If it does not finish
in 8 milliseconds, job is moved to queue Q1.
– At Q1 job is again served FCFS and receives 16 additional
milliseconds. If it still does not complete, it is preempted
and moved to queue Q2.

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 Multiple-Processor Scheduling

• CPU scheduling more complex when multiple CPUs are

available.
• Homogeneous processors within a multiprocessor.
• Load sharing
• Asymmetric multiprocessing – only one processor accesses the
system data structures, alleviating the need for data sharing.

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 Real-Time Scheduling

• Hard real-time systems – required to complete a critical task

within a guaranteed amount of time.
• Soft real-time computing – requires that critical processes receive
priority over less fortunate ones.

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 Dispatch Latency

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 Algorithm Evaluation

• Deterministic modeling – takes a particular predetermined

workload and defines the performance of each algorithm for that
workload.
• Queuing models
• Implementation

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 Evaluation of CPU Schedulers by Simulation

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